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Reports: Ronaldo Accused Of €8m Tax Fraud

After Lionel Messi was found guilty of tax fraud, Spanish authorities have now shifted their focus to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who could receive a prison sentence of 12 months.

The Portuguese allegedly defrauded up to €8 million (R116 million) in image rights payments between 2011 and 2013, as Marca reported based on information from Cadena SER.

Ronaldo and his representatives reportedly did not declare this massive amount of money, and instead wired it through accounts in the Virgin Islands.

However, the Portuguese and his entourage tried to sort out the situation by repaying a massive lump sum in addition to his tax payment in 2014, before authorities began investigating his case.

Here is where Ronaldo and Messi’s situation differ, according to Spanish media. While the Los Blancos talisman attempted to resolve his tax issues before authorities looked into his case, Messi, and in particular his father, only came clean after tax authorities started investigating.

However, Spanish authorities are still investigating whether Ronaldo and his representatives had not declared the €8 million as a result of an administrative error or with the intention to defraud the tax authorities.

Ronaldo's case is likely to be heard by a judge, and he will have to submit a statement, and is also likely to be forced to repay the whole defrauded amount and be given a monetary penalty if the incident is treated as an administrative error.

If the incident is treated as a criminal offence, Ronaldo could – similar to Messi – receive a prison sentence, an alleged four months per incident in 2011, 2012 and 2013, adding up to 12 months.